Musc Nomade (2008)
by Annick Goutal

The angelica rises off the skin immediately…

I have a love / dislike relationship with angelica, and here, it would be love, but this lovely version of it just doesn’t last long enough for me. The angelica disappears and the accord is immediately taken over by the musks, the rose, and the woods of the middle. I find the middle accord “pretty” at first but very quickly it becomes uninspired. It is also short lived and moves to the base too quickly. To my nose the tonka bean dominates the drydown and it is too sweet for my tastes. I get the white musks that are there, but I don’t get the labdanum, so, again, I am not impressed. On my skin Musc Nomade neither projects nor lasts.

Confession: Musks are not my favorites. Of the Les Orientalistes line I thoroughly enjoyed Encens Flamboyant and I purchased Myrrhe Ardente. To my tastes they are excellent scents that are true to their mission. Musc Nomade may very well be true to its mission, but I don’t find it very special, and its longevity is not at all good on my skin.

Despite the slightly "granny's dressing table" bottle, this is a must have for me. Maybe this is one of those fragrances which is in harmony with my skin, but every time I come back to this one, it astonishes me. Always warm, slightly sweet, heavy lidded and half asleep, like a baby's contented milky breath. Addictive and seductive, whenever I wear this, you can see passers by being lifted by the nose, slapped, kissed and left wondering why they didnt have the courage to ask me what I'm wearing. If it works this well for you, I guess its worth the cost.

Annick Goutal Musc Nomade

Musc Nomade is one of four scents in the Les Orientalistes line created in 2008 by Isabelle Doyen and Camille Goutal. The inspiration for these scents was said to be the smells of the harem. Up until now while enjoying the other Les Oriantalistes I haven't been whisked away to my mental seraglio. Musc Nomade achieves the stated goal admirably. Musc is one of my favorite notes to see interpreteted by different perfumers and in Musc Nomade MMes. Doyen and Goutal choose to go for the less earthy musc and instead use a combination of three white muscs to add a layer of brightness to this. At the top, the first of the white muscs comes out and it is paired with the nutty note of almond. The almond adds a little sweetness to the airiness of the musc and gets this off to a sparkling start. The heart undergoes a shift as the musc changes and gains a little more depth along with a new partner, tonka, Once again it is a little sweet mixed with the musc and creating a nice accord. The base is also a mix of musc and sweet in the presence of Bombay wood which is the sweetness of papyrus. As this progresses the musc gets a little more pronounced and a little more power until the mix at the end feels very sensual. This is a beautiful light musc which feels light on my skin but yet has a subtle intensity that I enjoy all during its development. No musc is ever going to be completely clean but Musc Nomade has the quality of feeling exotic and a little erotic which fits a scent trying to evoke a harem.

From reading a few reviews of this and seeeing some of the notes, I thought I was in for a real treat when I ordered a 15 ml bottle of this. However I was very disappointed once I received it. I've given it a few tries, but the scent never seems to take off for me. It seems thin and lays close to the skin smelling like a paler version of richer and meatier Ambre Fetiche. I'm begining to realize that I don't much care for scents that feature 'white musk" as opposed to a musk that is much "dirtier". It could have benefitted greatly from such a note. However, it's pleasant and some may enjoy this as a light summer musk scent.

A musk scent that is not animalic at all, not in a slightest bit. In fact more than a musk fragrance, I think of this as a powdery (musk) woody fragrance with resinous, slightly incense-like undertones.

Opening has a beautiful flowery feel and from the first sniff it is very clear for the one that this is technically speaking a great scent: Balance is there right from the start and it feels very niche with trust for high quality ingredient use in the blend.

This is a pretty contemporary soft oriental fragrance that is completely equally suitable for both sexes.
There is something very “Bertrand Duchafour-like” in this scent, although I think its not exactly as rich as most of that mans resembling creations.

This is a nice fragrance but I couldn’t possibly imagine that I paid 95 euros for a bottle of this. Not even close.

In fact considering that exclusive price, I can’t resist give negative rating for this.